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I would switch to macs if there would be a Handheld on the works!

R

radio893fm

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 11, 2004
252
561
Boston
Actually... I do have a PowerMac G5 and couple PCs... but for the sake of discussion, I think more people would switch to the mac platform if apple would release a good, sexy, usable HandHeld... it is about time...

I am about to buy an iPaq... wish Apple had something on the works... guess not...
 
It would be good but I don't think it will happen since I don't think the time is right since I think the pure handheld market will become smaller in the next few years.

Within the next year or so, the smaller hard drives coming out will mean that we can have mobile phones with decent processing power, fast connection speeds, decent memory storage. We'll end up with hybrid devices - I'd think it's more likely the iPod will morph over the next few years than a separate device.
 
mduser63 said:
I think this article will tell you why Apple isn't going to release a PDA. That's not to say that I personally wouldn't like to see one, it's just that it doesn't make good business sense right now.
Click to expand...

Can you see the iPod PDA?? I can!
 
kingjr3 said:
What does a PDA have to do with what computer you use :confused: Palm based PDAs sync quite nicely with Macs... I don't understand the connection myself.
Click to expand...

Sure they sync perfectly, some over Bluetooth. But after that they're garbage.

I bought a Palm Treo 650, which is their top-of-the-line handleld. Or, at least, it was the most expensive. If that's the best Palm has to offer, then I would say that Mac users are still waiting for a decent handheld. Frankly, the Palm OS leaves a LOT to be desired. Needless to say, I returned it the following week.

The Blackberry looks very nice and apparently syncs flawlessly with Macs. However, it's a far cry from a Pocket PC. A truly full-featured Mac handheld would be a nice addition to Apple's lineup. Though I think it will never come to pass.
 
They could easily throw together OS X Handheld and have like an iPod, but have the entire think be an LCD w/ a white border then the back half slides out and has a keyboard. Like maybe 10-20 gig HD, iPhoto handheld, iTunes handheld, Quicktime H, and maybe something like Pages handheld. Probably a 4" widescreen screen...
 
dotdotdot said:
Can you see the iPod PDA?? I can!
Click to expand...
If I could just get some sort of small foldable keyboard to add notes directly to my iPod, I would already consider it a PDA. Or at the very least some sort of small note program where you can enter letters using the school wheel or something. Not exactly the quickest way but effective for quick notes.

It already keeps some of my notes, news, calenders, the works. I dont know why people dont consider the iPod an Apple PDA. Yeah its not as full featured as others but it gets the job done and thats not even its primary function.

I still dont know why someone cant figure out the small keyboard thing though.
 
tfaz1 said:
Sure they sync perfectly, some over Bluetooth. But after that they're garbage.

I bought a Palm Treo 650, which is their top-of-the-line handleld. Or, at least, it was the most expensive. If that's the best Palm has to offer, then I would say that Mac users are still waiting for a decent handheld. Frankly, the Palm OS leaves a LOT to be desired. Needless to say, I returned it the following week.

The Blackberry looks very nice and apparently syncs flawlessly with Macs. However, it's a far cry from a Pocket PC. A truly full-featured Mac handheld would be a nice addition to Apple's lineup. Though I think it will never come to pass.
Click to expand...

I would like to get a BlackBerry but I can't get those guys from PocketMac( or something like that) to return my emails- Is there any other synching options for a BlackBerry w/ Cingular & a Mac?..
 
You could always get a Newton from eBay. Sure they're old, a little hard to get synced with OS X at first, but they are still a very strong handheld (probably too big to be called a PDA). I recently purchased one from eBay for $116 USD and the thing works flawlessly.

Now all I have to buy is a serial dongle or SER-001 serial board, usb to serial adapter, a new rechargable battery, and I'll be set. :D :D :D

Seriously, I showed it off to one of my friends who is even more of a techno geek then me. He was very impress with the quality of my Newton. He was blown away when I told him when it was made and what the processor speed was (1997 and 162 mHz respectively). I asked him about his PDA and here was the response I got: "Well, I paid $300 for it a year ago and it has a 33 mHz processor." I was blown away by that statement.

Stil,l check the Newton out. It might be what you are looking for
 
I second the Newton answer. Sadly enough, I still think the Newton's the best PDA that was made. I own a Palm Tungsten T2 and have owned 2 Handspring Visors and used plenty of PocketPCs... they're just not very good. None of them. They try to approach the format of "small" by removing useful visual feedback, or by forcing you to use their silly handwriting "recognition" systems rather than just being able to write.

The Newton, because of its size, is a lot like writing on something like a legal pad. It's got exceptional recognizer quality, an intelligent agenda/scheduling system (write, in any program, "remind me that '24' is on Mondays at 9 PM", hit a button, and it will add a repeating event in the appropriate spot). My only complaints with the Newton are its black and white screen and its very very bad external keyboard (which is a separate purchase, but it's crap and there don't seem to be any others). The size and weight doesn't bother me a bit, as it seems perfect for the one little device you'd carry around with you, much like many of us carry small notebooks.

Battery life is absolutely ridiculous--often weeks at a time on a charge.

I'd highly recommend trying it out. There is next to nothing disappointing about it, except for the time that has gone by since it was released. It's not designed to (and can't) be synched very easily anymore, because OS X is pretty different, but I think some people have made that gap quite a bit smaller in the recent past.

Anyway, give it a shot. :)
 
ClarkeB said:
They could easily throw together OS X Handheld and have like an iPod, but have the entire think be an LCD w/ a white border then the back half slides out and has a keyboard. Like maybe 10-20 gig HD, iPhoto handheld, iTunes handheld, Quicktime H, and maybe something like Pages handheld. Probably a 4" widescreen screen...
Click to expand...


but look at any similar handheld; treo 600/650?, palm tungstens, zire 71/2, sony clies, etc. Many of them have slide-out options or built in keyboards, but they cost well over $200 on the retail market. And a hdd would drive that up well over $300, not to mention the development cost of shrinking OS X and its processor requirements....
I am sure Apple has looked at this and decided it's a nearly sure-fire failure. Hell, they don't even make the iPod OS, it's licensed from an outside company. The trade-off is the pda-ish features on the iPod. I can definitely see them beefing those up, but a whole new handheld is, well....just read my signature :D :D :D :D
 
I agree with the poster who said that iPods will slowly take on more PDA and communications functionality. If Apple is able to keep the iPod popularity and develop it into the convergence device of choice over the next several years...
 
ClarkeB said:
They could easily throw together OS X Handheld and have like an iPod, but have the entire think be an LCD w/ a white border then the back half slides out and has a keyboard. Like maybe 10-20 gig HD, iPhoto handheld, iTunes handheld, Quicktime H, and maybe something like Pages handheld. Probably a 4" widescreen screen...
Click to expand...

Isn't IBM working on a low-power G3, anyway? Maybe Apple really is working on a "Newton 2"...

A portable iTunes/iPhoto/Quicktime 7/web/mail would be nice.
 
amin said:
I agree with the poster who said that iPods will slowly take on more PDA and communications functionality. If Apple is able to keep the iPod popularity and develop it into the convergence device of choice over the next several years...
Click to expand...
Actually, the iPOD already does the main things I would use a PDA for. Address book amd calendar lookup.

Of course, my phone also ho;ds some of the address book and handles pretty much the rest of the functions I would use a PDA for.

I want the iPod kept at it's current size (or smaller if possible) I don't want it larger and I don't want its battery life shortened beecause it's also handling other function.
 
There are two real options, pocketmac and missingsync pocketpc. But after that I'm totally with you, I don't need or want a pda, but if apple released a tiny little OSX running pda or phone, well, there goes my next paycheck. Come on Apple, the mac mini was a huge step for you, maybe when you break 5-7% user-market you'll decide to give us an inewton.

One might also say that Palm is the mac pda, but they're pretty expensive for what you get.
 
jared_kipe said:
There are two real options, pocketmac and missingsync pocketpc. But after that I'm totally with you, I don't need or want a pda, but if apple released a tiny little OSX running pda or phone, well, there goes my next paycheck. Come on Apple, the mac mini was a huge step for you, maybe when you break 5-7% user-market you'll decide to give us an inewton.

One might also say that Palm is the mac pda, but they're pretty expensive for what you get.
Click to expand...


admittedly i'd probably run out and buy an apple pda too. but, in the long term, i would probably end up selling it, like i've done with every palm i had.

the bigger issue than immediate sales (which probably would go up, based on the "ooh, new apple product we never thought we'd see" principle), sales would probably drop off, just like they have for almost every pda available today. the success of the ipod, for example, is that it broke into a niche people didn't know they needed (hard drive based music, lots of it)...I can't predict a large market for pdas that don't already use them.

Can anyone here articulate clearly a market need that is not met by the current crop of dying pdas? This isn't sarcasm, it's a serious question...I am curious to see if there is a good reason.
 
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